Track Listing

1. Fear Of The World
2. Be Near Me
3. Ocean Blue
4. 15 Storey Halo
5. A To Z
6. How To Be A Millionaire
7. Tower Of London
8. So Hip It Hurts
9. Between You And Me
10. How To Be A Trillionaire (Harajuku Mix) (Fry-White) (Bonus Track)
11. What's Your Destination? (Bonus Track)
12. Vanity Kills (US Remix) (Bonus Track)
13. Vanity Kills (Abigail's Party mix) (Bonus Track)
14. Ocean Blue (Single Mix) (Bonus Track)
15. Judy's Jewels (Bonus Track)
16. Fear Of The World (In Cinemascope) (Bonus Track)
17. Tower Of London (Instrumental) (Bonus Track)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7889 in Music
• Released on: 2005-11-14
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .22 pounds
• Running time: 69 minutes

Customer Reviews

ABC's neglected pop-classic from 1984...
There is little doubt that ABC's Trevor Horn-assisted debut 'The Lexicon of Love' was a masterpiece - following that came the rockier 'Beautystab' (1983) which was both a commercial and critical flop. Personally I think 'Beautystab' belongs to one of those underrated albums of the early to mid 80s ('North of a Miracle', 'Perhaps', 'Our Favourite Shop', 'Land', 'A Secret Wish') and it has more going for it than the last two Gang of Four albums. But look beyond 'Lexicon...' and to ABC's third LP 'How to Be a Zillionaire'and you'll find another classic pop album that has dated surprisingly well.

This is the definitive reissue, coming with the best sound thus far and a host of additional tracks/remixes - all screaming good value at this budget price. The Fry/White nucleas developed a post-modern notion of a cartoon band, pre-empting Dee-Lite and Gorillaz and in this form created a great pop collection. The original nine-track album is great stuff, the three singles released are all pop chestnuts of the shiniest order: 'Be Near Me' gorgeous pop as lush as anything on 'Lexicon', 'Ocean Blue' another classic which seems odd not to have been a hit, and 'How to Be a Millionaire'- which uses the kind of sampling common to Eno/Byrne over an electro-pop song which declares "I've seen the future - I can't afford it!" - so 'How to Be...' could be seen as a succesor to Heaven 17's 'Penthouse & Pavement' - tapping into the free market zeitgeist amid the reign of Thatcher and her yuppie drones...

The bonus tracks extend this collection and it's clear that a lot of dance music owes a debt to this set - I detect pangs of The Avalanches, Milo, Daft Punk, Electroclash, Groovejet, The Go Team, Richard X, late Mantronix ('Got to Have Your Love'), S'Express, Zoot Woman/Les Rhythmes Digitales and Madonna (...then again I might just be saying that to get you to buy it?). 'How to Be...' was the actual peak of ABC's career, 'Alphabet City' was a smooth Chic-inflected pop collection that was hit and miss, while 'Up' sounded irrelevant. One to rediscover I feel!

Irresistible crackle & pop...
Fractionally behind shifting tastes when released in '85, this album positively fizzes with ABC's pop dance energy & is my favourite by the band.

Yes, really quite good
I remember back in 1985 being apprehensive towards buying this album, my opinion of abc was faltered somewhat with the guitar-based Beauty Stab album. In the end i never bought this album and jumped back on the ABC bandwagon with the 1987 classic "Alphabet City." Now, 24 years later i finally download this album, and my jaw drops at what i was missing. Like beauty stab, it's a departure from the classic Lexicon sound, but it's bassy, danceable and just great fun. The synth work is excellent and i would rank this with their best work. BUY IT